Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) received a $170 million contract from Spacecom to build the Amos 3 communications satellite, IAI announced.

The satellite will be manufactured at IAI’s Systems Missiles & Space Group and is scheduled to be launched by the end of 2007. Amos 3 is intended to replace Amos 1, which was launched in 1996 and is expected to operate until 2008.